There's a single reason for me owning this disc. Kurt Elling's cover of Pat Metheny's "Minuano (Six Eight)" (from Still Life (Talking)). I thought it'd be interesting to hear vocals added to the song.
After several listening sessions...I still don't know what to make of Elling. See, it's a pretty unusual thing for me to buy jazz vocal music. Hmmm, halfway through that last sentence I realized that I own almost no male jazz vocal material. Yep, thousands of recordings and in there you'll find no Tony Bennett, Joe Williams, Mel Torme...nothin'. No, wait..I do have a Frank Sinatra cd. Does that get me off the hook?
There's no good reason for this deficiency...I just don't enjoy the sound of a male voice in a jazz context. To be honest, I had to really think about picking up Man In The Air. I mean, just take a look at that cover photo. The guy looks like Mike Meyers' "Deiter" character! Certainly a shallow reason for not buying a record (probably just a weak as picking up that Brigitte Bardot compilation just for the, uhm...artwork).
Anyway, one thing I'll say is that Elling has a very unique style of vocalese (setting lyrics to melodies and solo segments). There's a lot of power in his delivery - of a kind that I don't normally associate with jazz vocals. This isn't a bad thing. Heck, I don't really know what it is. As weird as this sounds, this music is giving me flashbacks to my Radiohead experience: the stuff is both mesmerizing (initially) and confusing.
There are compositions here by some pretty heavy hitters: Bob Mintzer, Coltrane, Zawinul and Herbie Hancock. Also included is one Elling original ("The More I Have You"). The only flat spot is a cover of "Never My Love" (who did that? The Association?) I can't put my finger on it...it just doesn't work.
The lyrics are interesting in that they seem to slide from relative concreteness at one end to stuff that's more open to interpretation. In fact, I rememeber wondering what he was getting at during "Minuano". And then I read the liner notes:
- On closer listening some settings present more than one possibility. Is "Minuano" about the excitement one feels coming home to a lover? Or is "Minuano" the song of a lonely spiritual disciple feeling quickened, sensing his guru's imminent appearance after a long absence? Are the guru and the lover the same person?
The music itself is presented by a fine quintet comprised of Laurence Hobgood (piano and Rhodes electric piano), Rob Amster (bass), Frank Parker Jr. (drums...the linchpin of this group, I think), Sefon Harris (vibes), and Jim Gailloreto (soprano sax). There are also appearances by ex-Metheny drummer Paul Wertico and Brad Wheeler on soprano sax (both on "Minuano"). This is definitely a band that can do the slow, bluesy burn..and then pick it up to swing like mad.
Man In The Air isn't for everyone (I'm not even sure it's for me!) It is a little different. If anything, it at least has made me realize that I've gotta go out and get some Tony Bennett records.
(First posted on Mark Is Cranky)
Article comments
1 - Tom Johnson
He's an odd one, that's for sure. He's featured on a couple of tracks of Charlie Hunter's Playground album. I really enjoy "Close Your Eyes," as he does a really interesting counter-melody with his voice that gets firmly lodged in my head. I checked out his first (I think) album, which also had that song on it but it was nothing like it - and nowhere near as interesting. I wouldn't use that as a critique of him, as I'm simply not a big fan of vocal jazz.
This Hunter album, by the way, is notable for being the first release to have Norah Jones' graceful vocals, on the cover of Roxy Music's "More Than This."
2 - Mark Saleski
yea, i've got the Charlie Hunter disc. i guess it's been a while since i've listened to it...because i didn't realize that he was on it.
and i love Norah's version of "More Than This"
3 - David
People tend to have either pretty extreme negative or positive reactions to him. I am on the "positive" side, although I understand the reservations, and I expect him to develop more, as an interpreter of lyrics, and as an improviser. He sounds to me like he needs to suffer some more. Jazz singing is overwhelmingly a women's art for some reason. I also tend to think it's best sung my middle age people - my all time favorite jazz singer, Carmen McRae, really didn't get her conception together til she was 40 or so.
4 - David
Anyways, here's what I think makes him special: he's a first-rate improviser with a good old-fashioned crooner's bariton voice, which he's able, because of his heavy classical training, to keep perfectly controlled while taking it absolutely anywhere he wants it to go.
5 - Peter
Kurt Elling definately portrays a unique style of interpretation that i have never been drawn to, until now. Since hearing his version of "Nature Boy" i bought the "Messenger" album, which led to buying another four of his albums. I know every song on those five albums very well now and i credit Elling for totally shifting my listening patterns and also broadening them as my interest in his ideas has made me appreciate many more artists that i absolutely hated at a time.
His vocal control is absolutely amazing. His use of phrasing, dynamics and tone is extremely highly developed and he certainly deserves much credit for that. His own vocal harmonies and improvisation factors make him stand out above so many others... Perhaps an aquired taste but i am totally hooked and very pleased to have heard his music. I call it his music because as Jimi Hendrix made "All Along The Watchtower" his by outdoing the hell out of Bob Dylan, Elling has made so many covers his (in my opinion) by making others seem so underdeveloped... I regret missing Ellings shows when he was here in Australia but if i ever hear of him coming out again, i'll travel to whatever state he appears in. I'm even thinking about travelling to America to see him perform even though i'm still a student and don't have too many luxuries at the moment. Talk about a big impact... my drum students are also familiar with his music now... my bass students also have to put up with him... i don't care... it's good for them.